Kelly, born and raised in New York City, met Caleb two years ago at a LGBTQ youth shelter. At first rivals, now they are best of friends. Ellen just arrived to the city eager to find community. Through encounters with getting "grilled," generalizations made about the LGBTQ community, and connecting to their history, they explore origins and explain why they are through with being oversimplified into a few (lgbt) letters when the story's much more complex.
Film/media makers:
Gabby Valdez
James Evans
René Jaquéz
Victoria Santiago
Abena St. Claire
Giselle Bleuz
Joshua Rodriguez
Sylver Gold
With help from Naye Mccleland and Aliyah Akchtab
Suggested pre-screening questions:
1) How has the finding support and community shifted over the years for LGBT communities? (i.e. services coming into play, stonewall, policing)
2) What kinds of issues do LGBT youth of color encounter in the city?
Suggested post-screening questions
• Often as people in the LGBTQ community we are oversimplified, which is where the name came from. How did the episode touch on this ways the lgbt community is oversimplified?
• Do you feel that services around the LGBTQ health and housing community meet your needs? Why or why not?
• What are some parts of the LGBTQ history captured in the film? How?
• What do you think Caleb got a phone call about? Why do you think that? What assumptions or stereotype inform that conclusion?
Additional Resources:
The way the films ends, the content of Caleb's call is unclear. We want to call attention that if the audience fears the worse and assumes that its about HIV or AIDS, then we urge people to find out more about post-exposure Prophylaxis, which gives you 72 hours from the time you think you may have been exposed to HIV to take it. It is a pill that directly treats folks. You can get it at any emergency room in NYC or to the HEAT program in Brooklyn. Also encourage folks to do more research about this as SupaFriends just find out about this at the End of Year screening and would love more info and links!
Also for more info about youth organizing for LGBTQ against gentrification go to FIERCE's website at: www.fiercenyc.org. Also part of our process of education was watching an excerpt of Fenced Out found here: http://youtu.be/BMrohHHdXd4
For more information about Sylvia Rivera, here is a link of her speaking her mind after some old-timey radical feminists and transphobes of the day attempted to block her right to speak at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day rally. Please note that this is very educational but also very triggering especially for survivors of transphobic attacks or sexual abuse. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lD75vnGc-E